1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibration attenuation support assembly for supporting a rotor assembly and a prime mover therefor in a centrifugal liquid processing apparatus for separating whole blood into the components thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore various apparatus have been proposed for the separation of whole blood into its component parts. In one such apparatus a continuous tubing is coupled from a source of blood situated outside of the apparatus to a receptacle on a rotor inside the apparatus. A return tubing is coupled from the rotor receptacle to a stationary receptacle situated outside of the rotor. Apparatus of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,442 entitled: DRIVE SYSTEM FOR A CENTRIFUGAL LIQUID PROCESSING SYSTEM, U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,231 entitled: SUPPORT ARM FOR CENTRIFUGAL LIQUID PROCESSING APPARATUS, U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,349 entitled: ROTOR DRIVE ASSEMBLY FOR A CENTRIFUGAL LIQUID PROCESSING APPARATUS, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,172 entitled: CENTRIFUGAL LIQUID PROCESSING SYSTEM, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Also, the technique for coupling lines such as tubing or wires directly to a rotor and for preventing the lines from becoming entangled during rotation of the rotor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,413 entitled: APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING ENERGY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A MOVING AND A STATIONARY TERMINAL, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Heretofore the rotor assembly and prime mover of the centrifugal liquid processing apparatus have been supported on the floor of the cabinet. When an unbalanced rotating mass is incurred, significant vibrations are developed in the rotation of the rotor which are transmitted to the cabinet and are very irritating to an operator in addition to causing wear of the parts of the apparatus. The unbalanced mass is caused by several factors, including density variations in the liquid contained within the rotor of the apparatus, the unsymmetrical location of receptacles mounted in the rotor, rotating of the tubings about the rotor and the flexing of the tubing as it continuously twists and untwists.
Vibrations produced by an unbalanced rotating mass have long been a problem in the utilization of rotating machinery and various structures have been disclosed for isolating and attenuating vibrations produced in rotating machinery.
Examples of centrifugal liquid processing apparatus and vibration isolation structures for attenuating vibrations produced by an unbalanced rotating mass can be found in the following U.S. Patents.
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. PATENTEE ______________________________________ 1,723,940 Krantz 2,521,054 Ellis 2,637,514 O'Connor 2,987,189 Evjen 3,249,215 Kelly 3,363,772 Jarvis 3,452,924 Schultz 3,509,742 Bauer 3,580,014 Mazza 3,774,710 McCartney 3,824,701 Norquist 3,945,226 de Hedouville 3,986,442 Khoja et al. 4,113,173 Lolachi ______________________________________
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,637,514 there is disclosed a garment treating machine such as a clothes washer or dryer which has a drum mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis. A cabinet of the machine is mounted on springs and fixed at its center by a pivotal mounting. This mounting arrangement allows the apparatus to pitch forward and backward, left and right, and up and down, such movement being restrained by the pivotal central mounting.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,824,701 there is disclosed a portable centrifugal drier for small articles, having a motor and a frustoconical housing mounted for rotation about a vertical axis on a stabilizing weight disk which is supported on a flat surface by nonskid, resilient, shock absorbing elastomeric feet.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,014 there is disclosed a washing machine furnished with ballast. According to the teachings of this patent, the ballast comprises two containers which can be charged with water to suppress the vibrational motion developed in the washing machine by either a reciprocating motion or a rotary motion. The containers are deformable and can be inflated with air.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the vibration attenuation support assembly of the present invention differs from the previously proposed vibration suppression structures by providing a support assembly for use in a centrifugal liquid processing apparatus where tubings are directly coupled between receptacles inside of and outside of a rotating rotor assembly and where a tubing guide which is part of the rotor assembly and which is coaxial with the rotor is rotated at a first speed and the rotor is rotated at a second speed twice the first speed to prevent the tubing from becoming entangled. The support assembly supports (a) the rotor assembly, (b) a prime mover therefor, and (c) a non-rotatable arm fixed to and forming part of the support assembly for directing the tubing toward the rotor assembly along the axis of rotation of the rotor assembly and attenuates vibration produced as a result of an unbalanced mass in the rotating parts of the apparatus.